Security Resilience

CVE-2023-41061

Apple Ipados ≤ 16.6.1

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD Exploited
Published
07 September 2023
Modified
23 October 2025
KEV Added
11 September 2023
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.044 91th percentile
Risk Priority 83 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2023-41061 is a high-severity Improper Input Validation (CWE-20) vulnerability in Apple Ipados. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).

Operationally, ranked in the top 9% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

A validation issue was addressed with improved logic in watchOS, iOS, and iPadOS. The flaw affects versions prior to watchOS 9.6.2, iOS 16.6.1, and iPadOS 16.6.1 and permits a maliciously crafted attachment to trigger arbitrary code execution. The issue carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 with an attack vector that is local, requires low complexity and no privileges, but depends on user interaction with the attachment.

An attacker able to supply a crafted attachment can achieve code execution on the target device, resulting in full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Because the vector is local and user-interaction dependent, exploitation typically involves delivering the attachment through messaging, email, or other channels that allow the victim to open or preview the file.

Apple security updates HT213905 and HT213907, along with the corresponding Full Disclosure postings, state that the vulnerability is resolved by installing watchOS 9.6.2, iOS 16.6.1, or iPadOS 16.6.1. The advisories further note that Apple is aware of reports indicating the issue may have been actively exploited in the wild. The associated EPSS values have remained low and essentially flat, with a current score of 0.0114 and a peak of 0.0115.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

A validation issue was addressed with improved logic. This issue is fixed in watchOS 9.6.2, iOS 16.6.1 and iPadOS 16.6.1. A maliciously crafted attachment may result in arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may…

more

have been actively exploited.

CWE(s)
KEV Date Added
11 September 2023

Related Threats

Threat-Actor AttributionAI

Apple Inc. (Masimo pulse-oximetry trade-secret 2020-2024)
2023 Top Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities | CISA
Microsoft Corp. (Salesforce / Slack engineer recruitment claims)
2023 Top Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities | CISA
AnonOps
2023 Top Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities | CISA
Clop
2023 Top Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities | CISA

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2020-9818Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV
CVE-2021-1879Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV
CVE-2020-9819Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV
CVE-2023-32434Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV
CVE-2022-32894Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV
CVE-2021-30807Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV
CVE-2020-27950Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV
CVE-2023-40394Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2026-28960Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2026-20686Same product: Apple Ipados

Affected Assets

apple
ipados
≤ 16.6.1
apple
iphone os
≤ 16.6.1
apple
watchos
≤ 9.6.2

Mitigating Controls

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-20

Security testing and developer training directly verify and enforce proper input validation, reducing exploitability of injection and malformed-data weaknesses.

addresses: CWE-20

Security testing and evaluation at multiple SDLC stages directly detects missing or flawed input validation, with the required remediation process ensuring fixes are applied.

addresses: CWE-20

Directly implements checks on information inputs to reject invalid data before processing.

addresses: CWE-20

Spam protection mechanisms perform filtering and detection on inbound/outbound messages, directly compensating for missing or weak input validation of unsolicited content.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

blocks

A.8.25 mandates security requirements, secure coding guidelines, checkpoints, testing (incl. code scans) and developer training in the SDLC, which reaches a slice of input validation defects but leaves the majority (incomplete enforcement, second-order inputs, parser differentials, post-validation canonicalization) unaddressed as in the SA-3 and A.8.28 anchors.

blocks

Mandating input controls that include integrity checks and input validation ensures that untrusted data is examined before use, blocking the root cause of many injection and malformed-data weaknesses.

blocks

Security-by-design principles explicitly call for data validation and sanitization at every layer, reducing the chance that malformed or malicious input will be processed without scrutiny.

prevents

Requiring language-specific secure coding standards, peer review, SAST and documented mitigation of common programming errors forces validation of all inputs before they are trusted.

finds

Testing against a defined set of requirements and using code review plus vulnerability scanning forces validation of inputs and handling of unanticipated conditions, reducing the chance that malformed data will be accepted.

Hardening callouts derived

DISA STIG baselines are authored against specific weaknesses. Where this CVE cites a broad weakness class, the mapping is not asserted at that abstraction (owner ruling, 2026-09-25: grade only at Base and below), so no rule is shown here rather than a rule shown against the wrong grain.

  • No fine-grained STIG row for CWE-20, a class-level weakness, and none of its children carries one either.

References